Moments
by ArtemisSakuraRose
Summary: A normal day at the mall ends in Marie gettin knocked down the stairs by none other than Niall Horan of One Direction. What happens next? Read to find out. Summary sucks. Please read!
1. Chapter 1

Maries' POV

It was four o'clock in the afternoon. My friend, Anne, was supposed to meet me at the food court in the mall ten minutes ago. Well, I wasn't really surprised; Anne was pretty consistant with being late. I sipped my chocolate smoothy and listened to my iPod. One Directions' song Moments came on. I silently mouthed the words.

Suddenly, a pair of hands covered my hands eyes and a voice said, "Guess who!" I giggled.

"Is it Harry Styles? Or Louis Tomlinson? Or maybe Niall Horan or - " I was inturrupted by Anne removing her hands from my eyes and placing them on her hips.

I laughed and said, "Oh, it's you. You weren't who I wanted to see!"

"Hello to you, too," Anne said, laughing as she sat down beside me. She pulled a pink CD case out of her backpack and handed it to me. "Here it is. I finally finished downloading your videos," she said. She had video taped me singing several One Direction songs and playing the guitar.

"I told you I didn't want those on a CD. What am I gonna' do with it?" I asked.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe use it to get discovered and be famous? Just a random thought," Anne said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes.

"My voice isn't that great. Can we change the subject now?" Now it was her turn to roll her eyes.

"Fine. Ignore your talent. Well, I have to be home in twenty minutes or Mum will go ballistic, so I better get going. Do you need a ride home?"

"No. I have a shift at Hollister in ten minutes, so I have to be going now," I said. I worked a couple days a week. We said our goodbyes and I headed towards Hollister.

I was actually a minute late when I walked in. My boss just gave me a look and told me to get in uniform. I changed and placed my backpack into the employee locker.

For four hours, I worked at the check out center. The work was very dull, but it payed decently, so I couldn't complain. It was close to nine o'clock when I got off work. I walked through the mall to the exit. If I had been paying attention to my surroundings, the mess I was about to get into would never had happened. Instead, I was looking through my playlist and not watching where I was going. I approached the stairs. Finally, I found the song I wanted and looked up, just in time for someone to run into me, sending me flying down the stairs. I hit every step on the way down. My body came to a stop at the bottom. I just layed there for a moment. Closing my eyes, darkness overtook me and I passed out.

Harrys' POV

"Boo Bear, wanna stop at the food court? I'm hungry, and I'm sure Niall is, too," I said to Louis. We were in a mall, just walking around for no apparent reason.

"Sure, Hazzah!" Louis said. "Hey, Nialler! You hungry?" The look Niall gave Louis was enough to confirm what I had already said.

"Well, then we're stopping at the food court - No, Niall! Don't run!" Liam shouted. Too late. Just as Niall was about to pass a staircase, a girl came into my sight. She had long, dark brown hair that curled slightly at the ends. It was also obvious that she was short. She probably wouldn't even reach my shoulders.

She looked up as Niall was running, but it was too late. He ran full force into her and she went tumbling down the stairs. Niall stopped and skidded, turning toward the staircase. Realizing what he had just done, he raced down the stairs. We were right on his heals. I saw the girl come to a stop at the bottom. She had passed out by the time we reached her.

I kneeled down beside her as Liam said, "Niall! Look what you did!" Niall hung his head in shame and I turned my attention back to the girl.

Her hair spilled out around her. I could see a dark bruise already forming on her head.

"What are we gonna' do?" Louis asked as he and Zayn also kneeled down beside her.

"I don't know, Boo Bear. I don't think carrots are gonna' solve this problem," I said.

"Look! Guys, I think she's waking up!" Zayn shouted. Liam and Niall crouched down next to her, too. As we watched, her hand twitched and her head moved. A soft groan escaped her mouth and she opened her eyes.

Maries' POV

Groaning, I opened my eyes. The first thing I was aware of was excruciating pain in my body. The second thing was that there were five boys staring down at me with almost identical concerned expressions.

All five boys looked strangly familiar. When the blonde one spoke with an Irish accent I realized who they were. Holy shizballs, they were the One Direction. As this thought crossed my mind, I noticed all of them staring at me, as if they were waiting for me to say something.

"Sorry, what?" I asked, not knowing what the blonde one, Niall, had said.

"I said, are you alright? I'm so, so, so very sorry about running into you!" Naill practically yelled. He looked like he was about to cry.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lied. "And I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention. It was just as much my fault as it was yours. If not, more." Sitting up, I held back a cry of pain. My back and stomach were hurting like hell. And I was pretty sure my wrist was fractured or something; same with my ankle.

"No! This is in no way your fault!" Niall continued. Ignoring him, I stood up, and emmidiatly almost fell over, but was stopped when Harry caught me in his arms.

Harry said, "Like bloody hell you're fine! Liam, I think we should take her to the hospital." Quickly, I pulled away from him and ignoring a wave of dizziness, said, "No, really. I'm okay. I have to go home." As I was saying this, I was looking around for my backpack. I sighed as I saw that it had come apart at the seams and my two textbooks and binder were on the staircase, while the CD that Anne had given to me was on the floor.

"Then we'll drive you home," Niall and Louis said at the same time. At any other time, that might have been funny.

"No thanks, you don't have to do that. I'll just catch a taxi," I said, knowing that since they were international superstars, they probably had better things to do than drive a pathetic fan home.

Niall walked up to me, with his head down and said, "I feel really bad about hurting you. Please let me make it up to you." Then he looked into my eyes.

I looked away and said, "You don't need to do anything for me. I'm fine, no harm no foul." Seeing that I wasn't going to give in, Niall sighed and began picking up my stuff.

"I'm at least paying for a cab for you," he said. Liam walked over to me and asked, "By the way, what's your name?"

"Marie. And I'm sorry for all of this mess, if I'd been - " Liam cut me off with a simple, "Stop. This wasn't your fault."

Louis came running toward Liam and shouted, "Fans are coming! It's a stampede!"

Before I could even process what was happening, Naill had passed my stuff to Liam, picked me up and started running for the exit.

When we got outside, they raced towards a bright red bus. I assumed it was there tour bus. The screaming of the fans was getting closer.

Then, Louis being Louis, he ran right into the door without opening it.

"Boo Bear! Get up!" Harry shouted. Liam jumped over Louis and opened the bus door. Then he dragged him into the bus. Niall and me were next inside the bus. Niall gently placed me on a couch and sat down next to me, pulling my head onto his lap. Wow, this was akward. Instead of continuing the akwardness, I sat up. Louis and Zayn piled into the couch beside me and Niall.

Liam and Harry sat on the couch opposite ours. I was surprised Liam was still holding onto my stuff.

"Sorry you had to go through that craziness," Niall said. He wasn't even breathing hard, after sprinting with me in his arms.

"It's okay. Um, how am I supposed to get home now?" I asked. Niall instantly brightened up, "We'll have to drive you home now! Yay! You can't refuse now."

As much as I hated having them do this for me, I had to agree with Niall. With all the fans surrounding the bus there was no way I would be able to go anywhere.

"You know, it's going to be a while before all the fans clear out. We're going to be stuck here for a while. Marie, do you need to call your parents to let them know where you are?"

I shook my head. Mom wouldn't care anyway and my father was serving in Afghanistan. He had left home three years ago. In about a years time, he could come home. Sometimes I really missed him. We had been super close and still were. He wrote me letters every week and we talked on the phone once a month. I was counting the days until he was schedualed to come home. Three hundred and seventy-four days were left.

Niall waved his hand in my face, "Hello! Earth to Marie!" I jumped, startled.

"What?"

"I was asking if you were hungry. We have some chips and stuff," Naill said.

"No thanks. I'm not hungry." The fans were still hanging around an hour later. I began to get very tired. After a while, I just leaned on Nialls' shoulder and drifted into an uneasy sleep.

A/N: Please leave a review. And I have another One Direction story, if you would like to check it out. It's called Gotta Be You. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! :)


	2. Chapter 2

Maries' POV

When I opened my eyes, I silently freaked out. Someones arms were around me and I had no idea where I was. After a moment, I remembered what had happened. Then I realized that the pair of arms around me were Nialls arms. I was actually quite comfortable.  
I jumped about a mile when Liam spoke, "She's awake. Marie, you never told us where you lived, so we couldn't take you home last night." Oh.  
"Wait, what time is it?" I asked. I didn't have a watch and my iPod was broken from my fall.  
Liam looked at his phone and said, "Its about nine in the morning. You slept all night." At this moment, Naill started moving.  
The first words out of his mouth when he opened his eyes were, "I'm hungry."  
"Hi, Hungry. I'm Marie. Nice to meet you," I said. I smiled when he laughed at my terrible attempt at a joke. He was the only one.  
"So, where do you live?" Zayn asked. Then I noticed what was missing: the sound of screaming fans. They must have all gone home. This meant that I could catch a taxi. Yay.  
"Actually, I think the fans are gone. So I can just take a taxi home. You don't need to drive me," I said. Niall sighed, seeing where this conversation was going. They had only known me for a few hours and they already knew my stubborn side.  
"Fine, but I'm walking you to the taxi and paying for it," Niall said. That boy must feel really guilty if he was willing to pay for my ride. But I took the offer, because I was sure he wouldn't back down any other way.  
I got off of the couch and stiffled a groan. You know that phrase 'It's gonna hurt in the morning'? I'd like to meet the person who invented that phrase and kick their ass, excuse my language. My back was hurting something awful as were my wrist and ankle.  
I think Louis must have seen the look on my face, cause' he said, "Do you need some aspirin, Marie?" Against my better judgement I nodded.  
Niall looked worried and asked, "Are you okay, Marie? You look a little pale and you're shaking. Why don't you sit down for a while? You can go home later."  
"Yes, okay, and no," I said, answering his questions. I sat back down on the couch and Louis brought me some aspirin and water. Thanking him, I swallowed the pills.  
"Why can't you stay?" Harry asked.  
"Yeah, you need to relax for a bit," Liam said.  
"I really have to go home now," I answered. Truth was, I was expecting my monthly call from my father some time today. I wouldn't miss that for the world.  
Niall sighed and got up. He offered me his hand and I took it, allowing him to pull me to my feet. I winced but walked towards the door. We were about to leave when I was engulfed in a huge group hug. I laughed, even though it caused me pain. I felt something being pushed into my pocket; I decided to check it out later.  
"Dont fall down any more stairs!" Louis yelled in my ear. I yelped and covered my ears. Louis grabbed my wrists and wrenched them apart. He continued shouting, "Be careful! Eat your vegetables! No sex is safe sex!"  
"Louis! Stop!" I shouted over him while laughing. Liam and Zayn were literally rolling on the ground laughing. Harry had tears of joy running down his face and Niall was just laughing his adorable laugh.  
Louis looked startled, as if he hadn't exactly known what he was saying. Oh, that poor boy, he really did belong in an insane assylum.  
Still laughing, Niall guided me out of the tour bus and we walked towards the mall, because there were usually a few taxis waiting there.  
We were silent for a few minutes, until Niall said in his adorable Irish accent, "So, Marie. Would you like to eat something in the mall before you go home?"  
I thought about it for a minute. My father didn't usually call until the afternoon, so I probably had enough time. But why would Niall want to spend more time with me? I was the pathetic loser most people ignored. I thought about it for a minute before I answered.  
"Yeah, okay. I'd like that," I smiled at him. He returned the grin and pinched my cheek.  
"Youch! What was that for?" I rubbed my cheek.  
"You're just so cute, I had to do that!" He laughed and for some reason blushed. I could feel myself blushing, too. Why would he say something like that?  
Niall coughed and said, "As Zayn would say during an awkward moment, Vas Happenen'?" I giggled. It certainly was an awkward moment. But Zayns' famous phrase dissolved the awkwardness.  
"Hey, you're limping!" Naill said.  
"I'm fine. I just twisted it a little. No need to make a fuss, Niall," I said.  
"But I'm the one who did that to you!" he shouted. I mentally facepalmed. How many times was I gonna' have to tell him to forget about it? It was just as much my fault, too. I was the one who was playing with my iPod instead of watching where I was going.  
Groaning, I told him, "Like I've said before, it isn't all your fault! I wasn't paying attention, either. So you should just forget about it."  
Before I could protest, Niall wrapped his arms around me in a hug. It was painful and comfortable at the same time, if that makes any sense. We just stood in the middle of the mall parking lot hugging for about five minutes. Finally, Niall drew back and we resumed walking. This time, he reached for my hand and we ended up walking hand in hand all the way to the mall.  
"Where do you want to eat? I'm paying cause' since I work here, I have discounts," I said. Yep, working at a Hollisters outlet had it's benifits, other than the pay.  
But Niall had other ideas. He playfully slapped my arm and said, "Not a chance. Breakfast is on me today." After a minute I shrugged and said, "Fine, I'm not one to pass up a free meal!" He laughed and smiled at me with his perfectly imperfect teeth.  
"Do you want to eat at IHOP? It's right down the street," Niall said. I turned my head towards him so fast that my neck popped painfully. Niall laughed loudly as I massaged my neck.  
"Yeah, IHOP sounds great," I said, when he'd finally stopped laughing. That settled, we resumed walking hand in hand to the IHOP. It was about a ten minute walk and by the time we reached the resturant, my ankle was on fire. Even this early in the morning, there was a waiting list to get in. Niall motioned for me to take a seat on a bench and he walked into the IHOP. I sat down with a sigh of relief. Leaning over, I pulled my right pant leg up enough to see my ankle. It was swollen and red.  
Suddenly, Niall was in front of me again. Seeing my ankle, he knelt down and took it in his hands. I yelped when he touched it and he jerked away, an apology written all over his face.  
"I think you should see a doctor, Marie. I'll pay for the medical bills," Niall said, staring into my eyes. But I avoided his gaze and said, "No, thanks. It'll be fine in a day or two. So how long do we have to wait for a table?"  
Niall stared at me for a moment but eventually he decided to take the subject change and said, "Oh, I pulled a few strings. We can go in now." He winked.  
I blinked and just decided to go with it. I stood up and followed Niall into the IHOP and we were escorted to a booth. Instead of sitting across from me like I expected, Niall scooched in right next to me. The waitress handed us the menus and I began looking through it. I decided on pancakes (duh!) and sausage with scrambled eggs.  
When I told Niall what I wanted, he laughed and said, "I was thinking the same thing!" When the waitress came around again, Niall gave her our order and she walked away.  
I had thought that this would be very awkward, just sitting waiting for our food, but I had forgotten one very important thing: this boy was Niall Horan. He had me laughing at his silly jokes the whole time.  
When our food finally came, we ate it very fast. When he was finished, he let out a loud belch. I raised an eyebrow and he said, "Excuse me."  
"You're excused," I said and we both bust out laughing again. It was then that I remembered that one of the boys had put something in my pocket. It turned out to be a ... Carrot!  
I showed it to Niall and we said two different things at the same time.  
"That boy is crazy," I said.  
"He needs to be in an insane assylum," Niall said.  
We looked at each other and practically fell out of the booth laughing.

A/N: Please leave a reveiw! :)


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